


A Little Pine Box

by Bunsandpups



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:43:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4996321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunsandpups/pseuds/Bunsandpups
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An innocent prank ends up scaring Loki half to death. It doesn't do too much for Tony's composure, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Pine Box

            It had all been fun and games, until Tony took it a little too far. They’d been messing around in a Halloween-themed exhibit, and Tony had playfully shoved Loki. That quickly proved to be a bad decision.

            Loki had stumbled, caught off-guard for once by the shove. The resulting step back proved to be on uneven footing, and he fell backward into an open coffin. As it turned out, the coffin had very little in the way of support. So, not only did it fall to the ground as Loki fell, but the lid slammed shut, trapping the god inside the small box.

            At first, the god had laughed, thinking it was a good prank. Then, he tried to lift the lid of the coffin up so he could embrace Tony again. It didn’t budge. Something had gotten stuck. He pushed harder. It still didn’t move.

            “Tony, this isn’t funny, stop holding it down.” Loki’s voice was incredibly quiet from within the wood.

            “I’m not holding it down. I’m trying to pry the lid up,” Tony assured him, face close to the wood. He knew Loki still had panic attacks sometimes, and that he hated being confined and stuck in one spot. He would never dream of continuing this as a joke.

            “Tony, seriously, this isn’t funny. Get me out of here.” Loki’s voice was more urgent now, more afraid. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, like he was going to be stuck there forever. His breaths were coming faster and shallower. He could feel the panic sinking in.

            Tony screamed for help outside the coffin, begging anyone to come quickly to help. After what seemed like forever, someone with a crowbar showed up. They tried to get close to the coffin, but Tony just took the bar for himself.

            “No, I’m gonna get him out of there. You hear me? I’m gonna get you out.” Loki didn’t—couldn’t—respond, and that scared Tony more than anything. He wedged the crowbar between the pieces of wood and pushed as much as he could. It took a minute of trying, but the lid finally popped off with a satisfying sound.

            Tony reached for Loki, who scrambled out into his arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Tony kept repeating those four words as he stroked the god’s hair and held him. “I’m not gonna go anywhere, okay? You’re safe now, and it won’t happen again, okay?”

            Loki nodded against Tony’s shoulder, still unable to speak. He would be like this for hours, and he would hate it.

            “Do you want to go home?” Another nod. “Do you want to walk or fly or drive?” Two taps hit Tony’s arm. Flight it was. “Do you want to watch something when we get home? Your choice?” Another nod. Sometimes movies or shows helped ease Loki out of the panic. It didn’t always work, but Tony was grateful for when it did.

            He carried Loki bridal style outside, cradling the smaller man. The suit sprang up around him and soon they were flying through the cool October air. Loki’s death grip eased a little, and Tony smiled from within the helmet.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a weird claustrophobia bout when I was a little kid, but now I love tiny spaces. Still, getting stuck in one versus crawling into one... I certainly would prefer the latter! I hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
